Down By The Natchaug River

STEVE GRANTThe Hartford Courant

Not to slight the trees, but what is irresistible about Natchaug State Forest in eastern Connecticut is the Natchaug River, which flows along its western border.

Natchaug means ``land between the rivers'' and refers to the former hunting grounds of the Wabbaquassets, near Bigelow Brook and the Still River, which join to form the Natchaug River, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The Natchaug is a small to medium-size river, by Connecticut standards, with just enough of a gradient that it pitches this way and that. It is full of energy and personality, riffles here, pools there, a sandy bottom along much of it. You can't take your eyes off of it.

Hemlocks, deep green and overspreading, are common along the river, providing a dramatic backdrop to the river they nurture and protect so well.

Try this: On a sunny, summer day, wade into the Natchaug, find a big, flat-top rock -- it won't take long -- and sit, feet in the water, looking upstream and listening to the sounds of water cavorting with rock.

``An undisturbed river is as perfect a thing as we will ever know, every refractive slide of cold water a glimpse of eternity,'' novelist and essayist Thomas McGuane once wrote. There are sections of the Natchaug that make people say things like that.

That you can still wade in the Natchaug, or picnic beside it, or fish or paddle a kayak in it, is but another example of why Connecticut's state forests are more precious by the year.

Outside of the state forest, access to the Natchaug, like so many other Connecticut rivers, can be difficult. As the decades go by, more and more land is posted ``no trespassing.'' And even where the land isn't posted, you may find no-parking signs. It is insidious erosion of access all over the state, and it gets worse by the year.

Our glimpses of eternity, then, are too often just that: glimpses out a car window.

But, thank goodness, Natchaug State Forest, put together piece by piece in the early 20th century, provides more than two miles of riverfront access to the Natchaug River.

Enter the forest through the main entrance on Route 198 in the Phoenixville section of Eastford, and you quickly come to the river and a stone bridge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Depression-era jobs programs.

Upstream and downstream of the bridge, picnic tables are scattered along the river, nicely spaced, in a section of the stream with mostly sprightly water. On a hot weekend day in summer, the tables will be spoken for by lunchtime, and pods of people will be wading in the river. Water shoes of some kind are probably a good idea, just in case you came upon a sharp rock or fishhook.

The Natchaug is a fine trout stream, and heavily stocked. The area near the bridge is now a ``trout park,'' which means it is heavily stocked from opening day of the fishing season through Memorial Day to ensure anglers have a strong chance of catching a trout. Only two trout can be kept.

The Natchaug also is one of eight ``trophy'' trout streams in the state, which means it gets some extra hatchery trout in the 12- to 14-inch size, along with a bigger allotment of what are called surplus brood stock, huge trout used in the hatchery breeding program and weighing from 2 to 10 pounds.

The typical trout from the Natchaug is likely to be the standard issue 9- to 12-inch trout produced in great numbers at the hatcheries, but ``be prepared for that tackle buster that is likely to be a large rainbow trout,'' said Bill Hyatt, director of the Department of Environmental Protection's inland fisheries division. In all, the Natchaug gets 16,000 trout a year.

Trout park, huh? I strung up my fly rod and caught and released two brown trout of about nine inches in the pool above the bridge. Yep, they're in there.

Remember that Natchaug State Forest is a forest, and a sizeable one -- 12,935 acres. Follow the road over the river, up the hill and to the left, and you'll reach a CCC camp from the 1930s. Continue past the camp, and on the left is the Nathaniel Lyon Memorial Picnic Area, marking Lyon's birthplace. He was the first Union general killed in the Civil War, on Aug. 10, 1861, at Wilson's Creek, Mo.

I suspect people in the area know the spot well, but it is probably safe to assume it is otherwise a virtual secret. I had the place to myself for an hour on a Sunday afternoon in summer.

The centerpiece of the memorial is the hearth and chimney of the old homestead. Nearby, in the shade of big sugar maples, are picnic tables and a water pump at the edge of a big, grassy field. Very peaceful. Very poignant.

Running through the forest, and easily accessed from the memorial picnic area, is the Natchaug Trail, part of the blue trail system. It is open to foot-traffic only and makes for a great walk during the fall foliage season. Bring your picnic lunch.

  

Natchaug State Forest

(Encompassing parts of Eastford, Chaplin, Ashford and Pomfret)

Directions: From Route 44 in Eastford, go south on Route 198 four miles to the forest entrance on left.

Size: 12,935 acres

Ambiance: Natchaug River flowing along western edge of this state forest makes it special. Lots of hemlocks shade the river. There is a picnic grove along the west bank.